Order and Payment Visibility Process

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses systems and methods for facilitating order entry, fulfillment, shipment and payment in a networked environment. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention describes a system for communicating order entries from a seller to a supplier, while providing order status information to the buyer. Also, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a system and method for electronic invoice presentment, dispute resolution and payment in a networked environment is described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/229,707,filed Aug. 27, 2002, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entiretyby reference. U.S. application Ser. No. 10/229,707 further claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/315,597, filed Aug. 28,2001, which is also hereby incorporated herein in its entirety byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatuses forfacilitating order entry in a network environment, and more particularlyrelates to methods and apparatuses for communicating, in a networkenvironment, order entries from a seller to a supplier, providing forefficient shipment of the orders by the supplier and providing orderstatus to the seller. The present invention also includes such methodsand apparatus used in combination with other methods and apparatuseswhich include electronic invoice presentment and payment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recently, the Internet, or particularly the “World Wide Web” has been ofparticular interest in the provision of commerce, and has given rise toa widespread desire to engage in “e-commerce”. For background purposesWorld Wide Web (WWW), is a collection of globally distributed text andmultimedia documents and files and other network services linked in sucha way as to create an immense electronic library from which informationcan be retrieved quickly by intuitive searches. The Web represents theapplication of hypertext technology and a graphical interface to theInternet to retrieve information that is contained in speciallyformatted documents that may reside in the same computer or bedistributed across many computers around the world. Currently, the Web'sfunctionality is based on three main elements: HTML, HTTP and URL.Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) comprises the programming codes, ortags, that define fonts, layouts, embedded graphics, and links(hyperlinks) to other documents accessible via the Web. HyperTextTransfer Protocol (HTTP) defines a set of standards for transmitting Webpages across the Internet. Universal Resource Locator (URL) is astandardized naming convention for identifying a Web document or file,in a sense the address of a link. The result is called the “Web” becauseit is made up of many sites, all linked together, with users travelingfrom one site to the next by selecting appropriate hyperlinks.

Web sites, also called Web pages, are really Internet sites that all usethe same techniques and HTML tags to create multimedia documents withhypertext links. Each Web page can contain many screens or printed pagesof text, graphics, audio, and even video, and the starting point for anyWeb site is called its home page. Although each page is an Internetsite, it must be accessed via a special program called a Web browser,which can translate the HTML into the graphical images, text, andhypertext links intended by the creator of the page.

As acceptance of the Internet has become widespread, it may be seen thatthe Internet has a great capacity to allow interaction between variousindividuals and entities.

The present invention also has a general background relating to abusiness practice that involves four entities: a Customer, a Seller, aSupplier, and a Carrier/Shipper. In the most typical business model theCustomer initially contacts the Seller and inquires regardingavailability of a product. The Seller locates a Supplier having theproduct and then “drop ships” the product to the Customer though use ofa Carrier. Drop shipping is an arrangement whereby the Supplier shipsmerchandise directly to the Customer. This technique helps the Selleravoid inventory and related administrative costs.

In today's conventional order entry/purchasing environment, wheresellers distribute orders to many suppliers, the suppliers willtypically have unique order interfaces or data interfaces whichcomplicates the ability to exchange orders and order status between thesuppliers and the sellers. As a means of receiving orders, confirmingorders and acknowledging shipment of orders some suppliers support EDI,others use XML, telephones, and/or fax. This difficulty in receiving andproviding timely and efficient shipment status has been a significantproblem for both sellers and suppliers in this situation. Readilyavailable shipment status is essential to good customer service; itminimizes the cost to obtain shipment status, improves customer service,and gives the buyer positive confirmation that their order is on itsway.

For purposes of example, a current exemplary order entry process for anInternet based company known as “SellerCo.com” is highlighted in FIG. 1of the above-reference VOV application. In this example, SellerCo.commeets the demands for difficult to find Maintenance Repair and Operating(MRO) products. Referring to FIG. 1, the process ensues at step (1),whereby the buyer/customer places an order on SellerCo.com's Internetweb site. At step (2) SellerCo.com' customer service representative(CSR) locates a supplier, typically via the Internet, a supplier list orany other research means. Once the supplier is located, at step (3) theSellerCo.com provides the customer with a price estimate. This estimatecan be conveyed by email, mail, fax, telephone or any other suitablecommunication means. In due course the customer will likely approve theprice estimate and convey such back to the seller via any suitablecommunications medium. At step (4), the seller's CSR enters theconfirmed order into the seller's ship acquisition plan (SAP) system.The supplier then communicates the order to the supplier, typically byfax, email, phone or other suitable communication means. At step (5),the supplier enters the order in their particular order fulfillmentsystem. Typically, this process takes on average three business days tocomplete.

Once the supplier enters the order in to their particular orderfulfillment system then, at step (6), the supplier ships the order usingone of numerous possible carrier interface stations, such as UPS, FedEx,Airborne, etc. At step (7), the product is shipped and thecarrier/shipping company bills the supplier for the shipping charges.This billing process typically occurs in a time frame of one to twoweeks. Once the shipment commences the supplier, at step (8) invoicesthe seller for the cost of the product and the shipping charges. Theseller, who acknowledges shipment via receipt of the supplier's invoice,bills the customer/buyer for the products and, at step (9), the buyerreceives the invoice for the product and pays the seller. At step (10),either prior to or subsequent to the seller receiving payment from thecustomer/buyer, the seller provides payment to the supplier for theproduct and the shipping charges. Typically, this process takes onaverage fifteen business days to complete.

Under the above-described process certain business problems have beennoted, which are discussed as follows. Assume that the seller places theorder with the supplier and also assume that the seller does not receiveshipment confirmation or status. When the customer calls the seller todetermine the status of the order, the seller cannot immediately providesuch information, and thus has to call or otherwise contact the supplierto get the tracking number and/or order status, which may or may not beimmediately available from the supplier. Once the seller has beenprovided with the order status and/or shipment tracking number, theseller calls or emails the order status to the customer. Suchinteraction necessarily causes delay and cost to both the seller and thesupplier. As a result of the seller being unable to provide immediatefeedback to the customer, the customer is dissatisfied. Additionally,the manual billing aspect of the present system provides unnecessarydelays in payment that further hinders the cost efficiency of thesupplier and the seller.

Therefore it may be seen that the need to provide good order andshipment status is well recognized. Additionally, a need exists toprovide for an order entry and order visibility system that allows forefficient billing to occur between supplier/seller and seller/customer.Such a system should also be able to provide the supplier with astreamlined shipping process that includes automated shipping labelprocessing

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses systems and methods for facilitatingorder entry, fulfillment, shipment and payment in a networkedenvironment. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention describesa system for communicating order entries from a seller to a supplier,while providing order status information to the buyer. Also, accordingto a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a system and methodfor electronic invoice presentment, dispute resolution and payment in anetworked environment is described.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method ofproduct order receipt and processing in a communications network isdescribed that includes the steps of receiving from a buyer, via acommunications device having communications network access, a productorder from an order entry and visibility system that is implemented onthe communications network; fulfilling at least a portion of the productorder; shipping the product order; tracking a shipping status of theproduct order via the order entry and visibility system; and invoicingthe buyer via the order entry and visibility system upon delivery of theshipment.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodof product order receipt and processing in a communications network isdescribed that includes the steps of receiving from a buyer, via acommunications device having communications network access, a productorder from an order entry and visibility system that is implemented onthe communications network; fulfilling at least a portion of the productorder; shipping the product order; tracking a shipping status of theproduct order via the order entry and visibility system; invoicing thebuyer via the order entry and visibility system upon delivery of theshipment; providing the buyer with an opportunity to dispute theinvoice; and resolving disputes related to the invoice via the orderentry and visibility system.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodof product order receipt and processing in a communications network isdescribed that includes the steps of receiving from a buyer, via acommunications device having communications network access, a productorder from an order entry and visibility system that is implemented onthe communications network; fulfilling at least a portion of the productorder; shipping the product order; tracking a shipping status of theproduct order via the order entry and visibility system; invoicing thebuyer via the order entry and visibility system upon delivery of theshipment; and triggering automatic payment to a vendor upon buyerapproval of the invoice.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodof product order receipt and processing in a communications network isdescribed that includes the steps of receiving from a buyer, via acommunications device having communications network access, a productorder from an order entry and visibility system that is implemented onthe communications network; fulfilling at least a portion of the productorder; generating shipping labels for the product order via the orderentry and visibility system; shipping the product order; tracking ashipping status of the product order via the order entry and visibilitysystem; and invoicing the buyer via the order entry and visibilitysystem upon delivery of the shipment.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodfor product order entry, product order visibility and product orderprocessing in a communications network is described that includes thesteps of: submitting, via a first communications device havingcommunications network access, a product order to an order entry andvisibility system that is implemented on the communications network;communicating the product order to a supplier via the communicationsnetwork; receiving via a second communications device havingcommunications network access, the product order from the order entryand visibility system; fulfilling at least a portion of the productorder; providing product order fulfillment information to the orderentry and visibility system; and shipping the product order; tracking ashipping status of the product order via the order entry and visibilitysystem; and generating an invoice via the order entry and visibilitysystem upon delivery of the shipment.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodfor product order entry, product order visibility and product orderprocessing in a communications network is described that includes thesteps of: submitting, via a first communications device havingcommunications network access, a product order to an order entry andvisibility system that is implemented on the communications network;communicating the product order to a supplier via the communicationsnetwork; receiving via a second communications device havingcommunications network access, the product order from the order entryand visibility system; fulfilling at least a portion of the productorder; providing product order fulfillment information to the orderentry and visibility system; and shipping the product order; tracking ashipping status of the product order via the order entry and visibilitysystem; generating an invoice via the order entry and visibility systemupon delivery of the shipment; and communicating product order statusinformation, via the communications network, to the entity thatsubmitted the product order.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodfor product order entry, product order visibility and product orderprocessing in a communications network is described that includes thesteps of: submitting, via a first communications device havingcommunications network access, a product order to an order entry andvisibility system that is implemented on the communications network;communicating the product order to a supplier via the communicationsnetwork; receiving via a second communications device havingcommunications network access, the product order from the order entryand visibility system; fulfilling at least a portion of the productorder; providing product order fulfillment information to the orderentry and visibility system; and shipping the product order; tracking ashipping status of the product order via the order entry and visibilitysystem; generating an invoice via the order entry and visibility systemupon delivery of the shipment; providing the invoice to an entity thatsubmitted said product order. providing the entity with an opportunityto dispute the invoice; and resolving disputes related to the invoicevia the order entry and visibility system.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an orderentry and visibility system for communicating product orders and orderinformation in a communications network, is described that includes afirst communications device having communications network access, thefirst communications device configured to receive a product order andtransmit the product order via the communication network; a secondcommunications device having communications network access, the secondcommunications device configured to receive the product order andgenerate a shipping label for the product order, the secondcommunications device further configured to generate an invoiceassociated with the product order; and a communications network databaseconfigured to store information associated with the product order, andto provide a user of the first communications device and a user of thesecond communications device with access to the product orderinformation.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an orderentry and visibility system for communicating product orders and orderinformation in a communications network, is described that includes afirst communications device having communications network access, thefirst communications device configured to receive a product order andtransmit the product order via the communication network; a secondcommunications device having communications network access, the secondcommunications device configured to receive the product order andgenerate a shipping label for the product order, the secondcommunications device further configured to generate an invoiceassociated with the product order; the second communications devicefurther configured to transmit a status of the product order to thefirst communications device upon generation of the shipping label; and acommunications network database configured to store informationassociated with the product order, and to provide a user of the firstcommunications device and a user of the second communications devicewith access to the product order information.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an orderentry and visibility system for communicating product orders and orderinformation in a communications network, is described that includes afirst communications device having communications network access, thefirst communications device configured to receive a product order andtransmit the product order via the communication network; a secondcommunications device having communications network access, the secondcommunications device configured to receive the product order andgenerate a shipping label for the product order, the secondcommunications device further configured to generate an invoiceassociated with the product order; and a communications network databaseconfigured to store information associated with the product order, andto provide a user of the first communications device and a user of thesecond communications device with access to the product orderinformation; and wherein further the first communications device isconfigured to receive said invoice and to respond with at least one ofan approval of or objection to said invoice.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an orderentry and visibility system for communicating product orders and orderinformation in a communications network, is described that includes afirst communications device having communications network access, thefirst communications device configured to receive a product order andtransmit the product order via the communication network; a secondcommunications device having communications network access, the secondcommunications device configured to receive the product order andgenerate a shipping label for the product order, the secondcommunications device further configured to generate an invoiceassociated with the product order; and a communications network databaseconfigured to store information associated with the product order, andto provide a user of the first communications device and a user of thesecond communications device with access to the product orderinformation; and wherein further the second communications device isfurther configured to generate a purchase order acknowledgment and totransmit the acknowledgment to the first communications device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a current order entry and billing system, inaccordance with the prior art. This figure discloses in the form ofsequential Steps 1-10, beginning with the Buyer entering an orderthrough an exemplary Seller named “SellerCo.com” and ends with the Buyerreceiving an invoice and the Supplier being paid.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for order entry, order visibilityand shipping label generation, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an order entry and billing system thatimplements the order entry and visibility system, in accordance with thepresent invention. This figure discloses in the form of sequential Steps1-9, beginning with the Buyer entering an order through an exemplarySeller named “SellerCo.com and ending with the Buyer receiving aninvoice and the Supplier being paid.

FIGS. 4-38 are typically network application pages encountered during anexemplary order entry and order visibility session including the entryof an order by a first user, typically a purchaser or a seller, followedby the fulfillment and/or shipping of that order by a second user,typically the supplier.

FIGS. 39-42 are various sections of an overall flowchart view of anorder and payment visibility process in accordance with the presentinvention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

General Outline

The present invention, as set forth herein, is a network communicatedorder entry, order visibility and shipping status mechanism. Themethods, apparatuses and systems provided for by the present inventionallow a first user, typically a seller of products, to input an orderentry and communicate the order, via a network, to a second user,typically a supplier of goods. The supplier, who will have generallyimmediate order visibility capability, can fulfill the order in whole orin part, electronically print the requisite shipping labels and providethe seller with network communicated feedback that shipment of the orderhas commenced and, in most instances, provide the seller with a meansfor tracking the status of the shipment. Since the present inventionallows for the users, both sellers and suppliers, to access the systemconcurrently it provides for the sellers to have ready access (i.e.visibility) to information related to the status of an order they haveplaced with a supplier. In the same regard, the supplier has immediatevisibility to orders that the seller places with them and canefficiently fill and ship the orders without the need of transferringinformation from the order receipt/confirmation system to a shippingsystem.

The present invention provides the seller of the product with immediateand up-to-date access to shipment status, thereby allowing the seller toaccurately and efficiently convey this information to their customers.Additionally, by providing immediate information related to when anorder is shipped, the supplier benefits from being able to bill theircustomers in a more efficient and timely fashion. The supplier of theproduct benefits from using the order entry and visibility system of thepresent invention in that they receive order entry information in anelectronic form virtually moments after the order has been placed. Inaddition, the supplier may be provided with a completed shipping labelupon fulfillment of the order, thereby, negating the need to re-enterthe shipping related information in a separate shipping label system.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2illustrates a flow diagram of a method for providing order entry andorder visibility. At step 100 a first user, submits an order to theorder entry and visibility system of the present invention. Typically,the first user will be a seller representative that accesses the systemvia a network interface, although the first user may also include anyother purchaser authorized to place an order via the system. The firstuser accomplishes order entry by filling in related order entry fieldswithin the system; examples of such order entry fields include suppliername, ship to address, line items, quantity and any other order relatedinformation. This order entry function can be accomplished eithermanually via key entry or automated via an ancillary order entryinterface.

At step 200, the order entry is communicated via the communicationsnetwork to other users of the order entry and visibility system. TheInternet is the typical communications network, although othercommunication networks, such as more private intranets, may also be usedas the communications network. Once the first user (i.e., the seller)communicates the order entry to the network the system allows forreal-time visibility of the order by all users who have access theorder. For example, if the order is placed with a specific supplier thenthat supplier and that supplier only, will have real-time access to theorder information. Additionally, it is also possible to communicate theorder information to other users of the order entry and visibilitysystem, such as the customer for whom the order is being placed. In oneembodiment of the invention, network communication is accomplished bycommunicating (i.e., storing) the order entry information to a networkrelated database. The supplier of any given order will be notified,typically via email or other communications, that an order has beenplaced.

At step 300, a second user, typically a supplier representative accessesthe system (i.e., the database) via a network interface. Access by thesecond user provides for immediate visibility of open orders placed bythe first user that are intended to be fulfilled by the second user. Thesecond user processes the order by readying for shipment either aportion of the order or the order in its entirety. Additionally, thesecond user may process the order as being pending if the shipment ofthe product will occur in the future, typically due to productunavailability, or the details of the shipping related information arenot yet known.

If the second user elects to implement the shipment processingcapabilities of the order entry and visibility system, then at step 400,the second user prints a completed shipping label(s) to be affixed tothe shipping containers. The system provides the capability to print,ready-to-go, shipping labels for any of the shipping entities supportedby the system (i.e., UPS, Airborne, Roadway, etc.). Alternatively, thesecond user may choose to implement internal shipping processes,thereby, foregoing the automated shipping label process of the presentinvention.

Once the shipment process is complete, the order status is updated and,at step 500, the order status is communicated via the communicationnetwork to the system users. In this regard, the system users haveimmediate access to the system database and can thereby verify theshipping status for a particular order. Additionally, the shipment of anorder may trigger the system to communicate to the first user via email,XML, fax or the like, shipment related information, such as the shippingcarrier's tracking number, and/or billing related information related tothe cost of the products and/or the shipping charges. The order statusinformation is typically communicated to the entity that placed theorder, i.e., the seller, although, it is also possible to communicatethe order status to other system users, such as the seller's customersor the like.

Order Entry and Visibility System Implementation

Referring to FIG. 3 shown is a flow diagram that illustrates theimplementation of the order entry and visibility system, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that theimplementation shown in FIG. 3 is not limiting and other implementationsof the order entry and visibility system are feasible and within thebounds of the present invention. For the invention to be implemented ina communications network a shared, preferably secure, network site isestablished, typically a website located on the Internet, although othercommunication networks may be used, such as intranets and the like.Establishing a website for the present invention is generally known bythose of ordinary skill in the computer art field and will not bedetailed in this discussion.

Prior to implementing the order entry and visibility system of thepresent invention the following preliminary steps are discussed to gaina full appreciation of the purchasing process. At step (1) thecustomer/buyer provides the seller with an order for a specifiedproduct. The order may be placed via the seller's e-commerce website,via telephone, via mail or any other means. At step (2), the seller'sCSR receives the order and locates a supplier via the Internet, asupplier list or any other supplier research technique. Once a supplieris located, at step (3), the seller sends the customer/buyer a priceestimate, typically the estimate is sent via email, fax or othersuitable communication means. The customer/buyer will typically approvethe price quote via standard communication means, such as email, fax orthe like. Once the approved estimate is received from thebuyer/customer, at step (4), the seller enters the confirmed order intotheir particular order entry system.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the order entry andvisibility system is capable of interfacing with the seller's orderentry system such that the seller's order entry system automaticallytransfers the necessary order information to the order entry andvisibility system of the present invention (shown in step (4) as OV(order visibility) integration). In an alternate embodiment of theinvention, the seller may be required to manually or otherwise input theorder data into the order entry and visibility system of the presentinvention. At step (5), once the order has been entered into the orderentry and visibility system it is electronically communicated via thenetwork to the supplier. The supplier will have generally real-timeaccess to the order once the seller places the order in the system. Anautomated email or other form of communication is typically sent fromthe seller to the supplier alerting them that an order has been placedand is available within the order entry and visibility system.

At this stage, once the supplier receives the order via the order entryand visibility system of the present invention the supplier may chooseto integrate the order into their particular order fulfillment system orto utilize the order visibility system as their order fulfillmentsystem. In the instance in which the supplier transfers the data fromthe order entry and visibility system to their particular orderfulfillment system the transfer may be automated or manual.

The shipping of the product will typically be processed through theorder entry and visibility system. The seller or the supplier will havethe capability to dictate the carrier to be used for the shipment. Theinvention will provide for the capability to have fully completeshipping labels, corresponding to the shipping labels of the chosencarrier, printed out. The supplier may choose to ship the order in totalor the supplier may choose to ship the order in part, such that theorder visibility system statuses the shipment as shipped or partiallyshipped, accordingly. Alternately, the supplier may choose to forego theshipping aspect of the present invention and process shipping of theorder through separate individual carrier processing stations.

If the order entry and visibility system is used to process shippingthen once the item has been shipped, at step (6), the exact carriercosts are immediately known. This eliminates the need for the carrier tobill the supplier for the shipment charges and, as such, the supplier isable to immediately, via email or other suitable communication means,bill the seller for the cost of the product and the shipping charge. Atstep (7), the seller receives the invoice from the supplier and can thenimmediately bill the buyer/customer, via email or other suitablecommunication means. At step (8), the buyer receives the invoice andpays the bill accordingly. Either prior to or subsequent to the sellerreceiving payment from the buyer, at step (9), the seller providespayment to the supplier, typically either electronically or via themail. By providing for efficient means of billing the seller and thecustomer the overall billing cycle time is substantially reduced andcost efficiencies are realized by both the supplier and the seller.

Sequential Example of the Order Entry and Visibility System

As may be understood, the present invention will typically beimplemented on the Internet and the users will be required to haveaccess to the Internet through a compatible Internet browser, such asInternet Explorer manufactured Microsoft Corporation of Seattle,Washington or Netscape manufactured by Netscape CommunicationsCorporation of Mountain View, Calif. However, it should readily beunderstood that the present invention contemplates the use of otherstandard Internet browsers as well as proprietary browsers if sodesired. The typical browser will be configured to accept graphics,allow JavaScript language programming (or another suitablecross-platform, object-based scripting languages) and enable securesocket layer encryption technology.

Order Entry and Visibility System Interfaces

In accordance with the present invention, the order entry and visibilitysystem will typically have three interfaces. These interfaces include,but are not limited to, a system administrator; a first user, typicallya seller's customer service representative (CSR); and a second user,typically a supplier's representative. In order to fully appreciate thefunctionality of the overall system, the following discussion brieflyexplains the function and interaction of these interfaces.

The system administrator provides the authorized user with the abilityto assign user accounts for the order entry and visibility system andconfigure user rights as either a seller's CSR or a supplier'srepresentative.

The first user or seller's CSR interface provides the capacity to enterorders and assign them to specific suppliers. Additionally, the seller'sCSR is able to view the orders, edit the orders, and track the status ofthe order. Order processing is tracked by the seller's CSR by visibilityto the second users processing of the order (i.e. Is the order stilllisted on the system as open?, pending?, partially shipped?, orshipped?). Shipping tracking is typically accomplished by using thetracking number that was assigned by the second user as a result ofperforming the shipping operation.

The second user or supplier's representative interface provides for theability to view orders specifically assigned to the supplier and toprocess the orders assigned accordingly. Processing the order typicallyentails fulfilling the order, either in total or in part and readyingthe order for shipment. The supplier's representative interface inputsinformation into the system regarding the status of orders beingprocessed. In one embodiment of the invention, the supplier'srepresentative interface will implement the shipping aspect of theinvention to provide for completed shipping labels to finalize theshipping process.

Alternatively if the supplier does not need the shipping aspect of thepresent invention to print the shipping labels, the supplierrepresentative may, manually or otherwise, enter the shipping relatedinformation into the order entry and visibility system of the presentinvention. This shipping label override feature allows for the suppliersto continue using their own sophisticated shipping process if thesuppliers so choose. Also, the supplier' representative interface mayinput shipping related information if the desired carrier is defined asa Less Than Truckload (LTL) carrier.

First Order Visibility System Interface—The Seller

For purposes of initial discussion, a typical seller's Customer ServiceRepresentative (CSR) will be assumed to be the first user, i.e., thefirst interface, of the present invention's order visibility system.Typically, a seller's CSR will access the order visibility system toinput customer orders into the system and send the orders to specifiedsuppliers. Additionally, the CSR will access the order visibility systemto check the status of orders. FIG. 4 is a typical order visibilitysystem log-in page that is encountered by the CSR when accessing thespecific network address associated with the order visibility system.The CSR will proceed with inputting a user name and password in thedesignated areas on the log-in page. For the example portrayed in thefigures, the user name of the customer representative may be assumed tobe “csr”, and the password can be set as desired.

After the user/CSR has successfully logged on to the order visibilitysystem, the user will gain access to a Main Menu page, FIG. 5. As may beseen, underneath the main menu title the following subtitles may exist,which also function as hyperlinks: Open Orders, Partial Orders, ShippedOrder, and All Orders. In addition, the main menu will typically includesubtitle/hyperlinks that provide for access to New Order, Edit Order andOrder Search functions.

As will be seen in subsequently described web pages (i.e. figures), theMain Menu page includes a “heading” graphic with one or more embeddedlinks. Of note, one of these links is a “Help” link, which provides fora pull-down menu of various help sections. By selecting the help sectionentitled “Help Main Menu” the page shown as FIG. 6 will be accessed.This page provides for a column entitled “Help Features” and a columnentitled “Common Processes”. The “Help Features” column includeshyperlinks to frequently asked questions, an email address, newfeatures, a glossary of terms and a site map. The “Common Processes”column includes “How to” links for various processes that a CSR willcustomarily perform. For example, by selecting the sixth link entitled“How do I view information about an order?”, the user will be providedaccess to an instructional page, shown in FIG. 7, that defines thespecific steps involved in viewing information about an order. Each stepin the process provides for a link entitled “Click here for moredetails” that provides accesses to a page comprising more detailedinstruction and a full page-size figure corresponding to the downsizedfigure accompanying the specific step.

Referring again to FIG. 5, a CSR/user could select, or “click-on”, the“New Order” link if the CSR desires to enter a new order. Likewise, theCSR could select the Edit Order link in order to edit a previouslyinputted order. Additionally, the CSR could select one of the linksentitled Open Orders, Partial Orders, Shipped Orders or All Orders,respectively, if the user elects to view the status of open orders,partial orders, shipped orders, or all orders, respectively.

For purposes of discussion, it will be assumed that from the page shownin FIG. 5 the CSR/user selects the “All Orders” link, resulting in apage display such as shown in FIG. 8. This page display is entitledOrder Listing, and it allows the CSR to search the entire order databasewithin a specific date range or for a predefined preceding number ofdays. In the instance shown in FIG. 8, the default range is thepreceding 180 days. The Order Listing page will typically includeheadings corresponding to information related to the orders, in theexample shown six headings correspond to six columns of relatedinformation. The first column is labeled ID, the second column isentitled ORDER, the third is entitled STATUS, the fourth is labeledORDER DATE, the fifth is entitled SUPPLIER and the sixth is labeledLOCATION. The ORDER field comprises the seller's order numbers and theSTATUS field defines the status of particular orders as being open(i.e., order placed but not yet shipped), shipped or partially shipped.The field entitled ORDER DATE identifies the dates on which the orderswere initially placed. The SUPPLIER field identifies the particularsuppliers that have been identified for delivery of the different ordersand the LOCATION field identifies the location of the particularsupplier.

FIGS. 9-10 are similar to FIG. 8, except that they show “Open”,“Partial” and “Shipped” orders, respectively. These pages can beaccessed by selecting the “Open Orders”, “Partial Orders” or “ShippedOrder” links on, for example, FIG. 5.

As shown in FIGS. 8-10, the various columns may be sorted in ascendingor descending order by use of the upwardly or downwardly oriented arrowsnext to the labels of the individual column headings. A sort functionwithin the heading may provide for the ORDER, STATUS, ORDER DATE,SUPPLIER and LOCATION fields to be sorted in numerical order,alphabetical order or chronological order depending on the field entriescomprising the column. For example, FIG. 10 depicts shipped orders thathave been chronologically sorted by order date with the most recentlyplaced order appearing first in the ORDER DATE column.

If the CSR/user attends on placing a new order, a suitable “New Order”link, such as displayed on the Main Menu page or the “Order” pull-downmenu found on most page headings, will be selected. Once “New Order”entry has been selected the CSR/user may access a page entitled NewOrder, as shown in FIG. 11, which requests the user to enter thecustomer number associated with the customer purchasing the order to beentered. Under one aspect of the present invention, if an existingcustomer number is entered in this field, existing customer informationwill be retrieved from a customer database and used to place the neworder. However, if a new, previously, unused customer number isinserted, a new customer information page will be provided. For purposesof discussion, a new customer number will be used, namely 063000.Inputting the new customer number will result in access to a pageentitled Customer Information: New Customer, as depicted in FIG. 12.This page illustrates the various entry fields that may be used for newcustomer information.

After completing the entry fields found on the New Customer informationpage the user/CSR will select “Submit”. By selecting the “submit” optionthe new customer information is stored in the customer database.Additionally, selecting the “submit” option will provide the user/CSRwith access to a page entitled Enter a New Order, as shown in FIG. 13.The new order entry page will typically comprise fields for orderinformation and fields for customer information. The customerinformation will be carried over from customer information database inthose embodiments of the invention that incorporate a customer database.In an alternative embodiment of the invention, in which the customerdatabase does not exist, the user/CSR will be required to provide inputsto all the customer information fields displayed within the new orderentry page.

The order information fields on the new order entry page may comprise,Order Number, reference Number, Customer PO Number, Shipping Method,Number of Line Items, Supplier, Date Ordered, Date Requested andLocation reference. The required fields are indicated by an asterisklocated adjacent to the field name. The user/CSR will manually inputorder information into the order information fields or an ancillary SAPsystem may electronically interface with the order entry system of thepresent invention to provide the requisite order information.

If the user/CSR is uncertain as to what information is to be provided ina given field, the user/CSR may access the pull-down “Help” menu locatedin the page heading. Provided for within the pull-down “Help” menu is anentry entitled “Glossary”. By selecting the “Glossary” entry, theuser/CSR is provided access to the Glossary page, as shown in FIG. 14.The glossary is alphabetically assembled and provides brief descriptionsof all the field entries found within the order visibility system. Ifthe user/CSR desires further assistance in completing the new orderentry, provided for within the pull-down “Help” menu is an entryentitled “Help Main Menu”. By selecting the “Help Main Menu” entry, theuser/CSR is provided access to the Help Main Menu page, as previouslydiscussed and as shown in FIG. 6. By selecting option 1, entitled “Howdo I create a New Order”; the user/CSR will access specific step-by-stepinstructions detailing the method for creating new orders, as shown inFIG. 16.

For purposes of this discussion and as illustrated in FIG. 13, theuser/CSR enters the Order Number as “10010”. The Reference Number isentered as “24”. The Customer Purchase Order (PO) Number is assumed tobe “1000000024”. The Shipping Method is selected to be “UPS Ground”. Thenumber of line items in the order is “2”. The chosen supplier is“Supplier Company”. The date ordered will correspond to the present dateand the date requested will be defined by the user/CSR, in this instancethe first day of the subsequent month. For the purpose of this example,the Location Reference field is assumed to be undefined.

In a typical order visibility system the seller may predefine theshipping options and the supplier options. The predefined options may bedisplayed to the user/CSR by a pull-down menu associated with the orderentry fields for shipping method and supplier. For instance, the sellermay predefine UPS Ground, UPS next Day Air, and various LTL (Less ThanTruckload) carriers as suitable shipping options. In accordance with anembodiment of the present invention and as will be discussed at lengthin subsequent detailed discussion, once the supplier receives the order,with a requested shipping method, the supplier can then process theorder and automatically print a shipping label associated the chosenshipping method.

Once the user/CSR enters the required information in the orderinformation fields and/or the customer information fields, the user/CSRcan select “Continue” to continue the order entry process or theinformation provided in the fields may be edited by selecting the “ClearInformation” option. For purposes of this discussion the user/CSRselects the “Continue” option and access is provided to a page entitledLine Items for Order 10010, as depicted in FIG. 16.

The Line Item Order page provides for line item order entrycorresponding to the number of line items entered in the previous OrderEntry page, in this instance, “2”. The line item field includes LineItem ID, SKU/Item Number, Quantity, Description and Reference. The LineItem ID is a unique identifier for this particular order, in thisinstance, line item 1 is assigned “100” and line item 2 is assigned“200”. The SKU/Item Number is typically the suppliers number for theparticular item, in this instance, line item 1 is defined as “188” andline item 2 is defined as “189”. The quantity desired is defined in thisinstance as “2” for line item 1 and “1” for line item 2. The descriptionfield provides for a description of the goods being purchased, forinstance, line item 1 is a “widget” and line item 2 is a “widgetholder”. The reference field, which has been left undefined in thisinstance, provides the user/CSR with the ability to add referenceinformation, as necessary.

Once the user/CSR enters the required information in the Line Item orderinformation fields the user/CSR can select “Continue” to continue theorder entry process or the information provided in the fields may beedited by selecting the “Edit Order Information” option. For purposes ofthis discussion the user/CSR selects the “Continue” option and access isprovided to a page entitled, Order Confirmation, as depicted in FIG. 17.

The Order Confirmation page will indicate new order details, customerinformation and line item information, which corresponds to theinformation previously entered. If the information shown is incorrect,the user/CSR may select the “Edit Order” link to edit any of theinformation shown in the confirmation. However, assuming the orderinformation is correct, the “Process Order” link will be selected andthe user/CSR is directed to a page entitled, New Order Processed, asshown in FIG. 18.

The New Order Processed page indicates that the new order has beenaccepted by the system and placed with the supplier. In this instance,it is noted that the order number 10010 has been accepted and the orderis now “visible” to the chosen supplier, in this instance “SupplierCompany”. “Visible” in this application means that when the supplieraccesses the order visibility system this particular order will nowappear as being placed and requiring action on the part of the supplier.In addition, confirmation of the order being placed will also prompt theorder visibility system to automatically send the supplier an ordercommunication, typically either e-mail or a xml feed, alerting thesupplier that an order has been placed. After confirmation of the orderbeing placed, the user/CSR may select to return to the “Main Menu”,“Enter a New Order” or “Logout”.

For purposes of this discussion, it will be assumed that the user/CSRreturns to the Main Menu and selects the “All Orders” link, resulting inthe user/CSR accessing the page that comprises all of the orderscurrently placed, such as shown in FIG. 19. As may be seen, FIG. 19 is aview similar to that of FIG. 8 except that the new order #10010 isincluded at the top of the list, indicating that its status is OPEN, theorder date is Jun. 6, 2001, and the supplier is Supplier Company.

Second Order Visibility System Interface—the Supplier

At this point, for purposes of discussion, it will be assumed that arepresentative of the supplier, Supplier Company will access the ordervisibility system for the purpose of receiving and filling the orderthat was placed by the seller. However, it should be understood that thesupplier may access the system either before or after the customerservice representative has “logged out.” Once the order has beenconfirmed at the seller's end, the order will be communicated to thesupplier and the supplier will have the capability to view that ordermomentarily thereafter (depending on the speed of the networkcommunication). The seller and the supplier may, and very often will, belogged-on to the system simultaneously.

FIG. 20 is the same order visibility system log-in page as FIG. 4 thatis accessed by inputting the specific network address associated withthe order visibility system. However, in this instance, the page isbeing accessed by the supplier and the supplier's representative willproceed with inputting a user name and password in the designated areason the log-in page. For the example portrayed in the figures, the username of the supplier's representative may be assumed to be “supplier”,and the password can be set as desired.

Upon entering the appropriate User Name and Password, the supplier'srepresentative will access a page entitled, Main Menu, as shown in FIG.21. The Main Menu for the supplier provides the current order status (1open order, 2 partially shipped orders and 0 pending orders), as well asthe following links: “Open”, “Partially Shipped”, “Pending Orders”,“Shipped”, “Ship an Order” and “Order Shipped”. As may be understood,these links provide access to the supplier' particular open orders,partially shipped order, pending orders, shipped orders, as well asprovides a shipping link and an order search function.

In this instance, the supplier's representative selects “Open” orders toview orders placed by the seller that have yet to be processed. As shownin FIG. 22, the supplier accesses a page entitled, Order Listing thatprovides information related to open orders. The page allows thesupplier to search the entire open order database within a specific daterange or for a predefined preceding number of days. In the instanceshown in FIG. 22 the default range is the preceding 180 days. This pagemay include order information, such as, seller's Order Number, OrderStatus, Order Date, as well as the Customer purchasing the goods. It maybe noted that there is no need to provide any supplier relatedinformation at this point, as it is assumed that the supplier viewingsuch an order listing will be the supplier assigned to these particularorders by the seller.

As may be seen, The order visibility system of the present inventionprovides the supplier with access to (i.e. visibility) the supplier's“partially shipped” orders (FIG. 23), the supplier's “shipped” orders(FIG. 24) and/or the supplier's “pending orders” (FIG. 25). Partiallyshipped orders are defined as those orders that still have line items orportions of line items yet to ship. Pending orders are defined as thoseorders that have been processed and filled but have yet to ship (i.e.assigned shipping tracking numbers). Shipped orders are those ordersthat have shipped in total.

The supplier has various options obtaining the information necessary toship open orders. The supplier may access the open orders page via theMain Menu page and select the order number of any open order. Byselecting the open order number, the supplier will be directed to a pageentitled, Ship Order XXXX, where XXXX indicates the order number. TheShip Order page is illustrated as FIG. 26. Alternatively, the suppliermay select the “Ship an Order” link from the Main Menu that directs thesupplier to a page entitled, Ship Order Search, as shown in FIG. 27. Theship order search page requires the supplier to input informationrelated to an open order. Thus the supplier would be required to haveknowledge of the shipment, in the form of an order number, a referencenumber, a customer PO number or the like. By inputting the order number,in this instance “10010”, the supplier is directed to the same ShipOrder XXXX referenced above and shown in FIG. 26.

As shown in FIG. 26, the Ship Order page is provided which includes theorder number, customer information (i.e. to whom the order will beshipped to), as well as provisions to enter certain shipment informationcorresponding to the package. As may be seen, such shipment informationincludes fields for weight (in pounds), dimensions (typically ininches), special requirements for an oversized package and/or adelivery, the declared value (in dollars), number of packages andshipper tracking number. Additionally, the shipment information willindicate the seller's desired shipping service. In one embodiment of theinvention, the supplier may be able to override the seller's desiredshipping service if so desired. To allow for the shipping service to beoverridden by the supplier a pull-down supplier menu may be providedthat lists acceptable alternative shipping services. The Ship Order pagealso comprises fields for LTL information. LTL information is requiredif the seller has requested shipment via LTL carrier or the supplier hasoverridden the seller's shipment request and has chosen an LTL carrier.These fields may include tracking number, shipment description, carrierinstructions, package description, LTL class, BOL (Bill of Lading)number or the like.

Prior to entering the order package information, the supplier willtypically access the details of the order by selecting the “View OrderDetails” link on the Ship Order page. A separate network window willtypically be opened that provides access to the page shown in FIG. 28,that provides order details, such as supplier name and address, ordernumber, order status, customer/ship to name and address, customer POnumber, date ordered, date requested and line item information. Fromthis page the supplier may also view any additional seller-suppliednotes related to the order by selecting the “View Order Notes” link onthis page.

Once the supplier determines from the Order Detail page that inventoryexists to fulfill at least a portion of the order, the supplier willproceed with fulfilling the order by pulling the requisite stock andboxing the shipment, accordingly. Package information is then providedby the supplier in the appropriate package information fields on theShip Order page. As a minimum the package weight and the shippingservice must be provided before the order can be processed as shipped.Additionally, the remaining package information fields may be completedto provide further description of the package and/or to defineadditional shipping requirements. The supplier can manually enter atracking number or a tracking number can be automatically provided forwhen the shipping label is subsequently generated.

If the seller or the supplier has indicated that LTL shipping is to beperformed then the fields listed under LTL information will typically becompleted prior to selecting “Ship Order”. Assuming that an LTL-typeshipper is to be used it should be noted that if the supplier does notenter a “LTL Tracking Number,” the order would be, according to thepresent invention, classified as a “Pending Order” awaiting shipmentupon the assignment of the appropriate tracking number. The supplier orthe shipper is then instructed to return to the Ship Order page andenter the LTL tracking number at which point the status of the orderchanges from “pending” to “shipped”. As may be understood by those ofskill in the art of shipping, typically an LTL tracking number is notprovided by the LTL carrier until the actual carrier driver arrives atthe supplier locale to pick up the package to be shipped.

Additionally, the Ship Order page provides the supplier the option ofadding order notes to the shipment by selecting the “Add Order Notes”link on the Ship Order Page. Typically, upon selection a separatenetwork window will be opened that displays the Order Notes page. Thesupplier may either provide custom notes or access a listing of genericshipment notes. Once the shipment notes have been submitted they will beconveyed to the Customer via the order entry and visibility system orvia XML.

Once the shipment is ready to be shipped the supplier selects the “ShipOrder” link and the supplier is directed to a page entitled, Ship LineItems for Order XXXX, as shown in FIG. 29. This allows the supplier toalter the number of line items shipped or the quantity of any one lineitem. For instance in the example presented herein, assume the supplieris shipping a quantity of one from line item 1 and a quantity of 1 fromline item 2. The supplier representative edits the quantities in the“ship” field and selects the “Ship Order” link to complete the shiporder process. If the supplier representative desires to edit theshipment information, the supplier selects the “Edit Shipment” link andthe supplier is returned to the Ship Order page, FIG. 26.

Upon selecting the “Ship Order” link, the supplier is directed to a pagethat generates the shipping label, as shown in FIG. 30. The shippinglabel can then be printed out and affixed to the shipping container. Theshipping label will be indicative of the shipping service chosen and mayinclude the tracking number of the item being shipped. Additionally, theshipping label will typically have the customer name and address, returnaddress of the supplier, package weight and any other shipping relatedinformation printed thereon. The label page may also includeinstructions for printing the label, affixing the label to the containerand pick-up of the package by the carrier.

Once the label has been printed and affixed and the package is deemed“shipped” the supplier has the option of returning to the Main Menu orviewing the Open Orders page. These options are performed by selectingthe corresponding links on the Label page. For instance, if the supplierchooses to return to the Open Order page, the page will indicate that noopen orders remain, as depicted in FIG. 31. If the supplier chooses toreturn to the Main Menu page and then selects the “Partial Shipment”link, the Partial Shipment page, as shown in FIG. 32, will indicate thatOrder Number 10010 is a partial shipment and, thus further shipment isrequired. If the supplier selects the Order Number in the PartialShipment page, it will direct the supplier to the Ship Order page wherethe order may be shipped in full or a further partial shipment may beundertaken.

In addition, confirmation of the order being shipped, i.e., selectingthe “Ship Order” link, will also prompt the order visibility system toautomatically send the seller an order communication, typically eithere-mail or a xml feed, alerting the seller that a shipment of the orderhas taken place and providing the seller with the appropriate ordernumber, tracking number(s) and/or package weight(s). The shipmentconfirmation communication may also include billing information relatedto the cost of the products being shipped, as well as, the shippingcharges. By providing for a mechanism to bill the seller for theshipping charges, immediately, upon shipment, the order entry andvisibility system of the present invention eliminates the need to havethe carrier bill the supplier. Additionally, a similar shipmentconfirmation message may be sent to the customer of the shipment.

It is also possible and within the inventive concepts herein disclosedto configure the order entry and visibility system of the presentinvention so that from the supplier's perspective the system interfaceswith more than one seller. In this embodiment of the invention, theorder listing page will typically include a column for “Sellers” thatserves to identify the seller from which the order was placed.Additionally, when a seller accesses the system they will only havevisibility to the status of the orders that they placed with thesupplier and will be excluded from viewing other seller's orders.

Third Order Visibility Interface—the System Administrator

It is also possible for a third interface to be used, namely the “SystemAdministrator Interface.” As shown in FIG. 33, the system administrator,typically associated with the seller, will access the system via thesystem login page by entering the appropriate user name and password. Inthe example shown in FIG. 33 the administrator user name is “admincsr”.

Once the login function is completed the system administrator will bedirected to the system Main Menu, as shown in FIG. 34. The Main Menuallows the system administrator to access the order informationpreviously discussed, as well as, access the Administration Menu listedunder the heading of Administrative Functionality.

From the Administration Main Menu, as shown in FIG. 35, the systemadministrator has the capability to add or edit a new user, add or editthe location of a supplier or add or edit a supplier. In addition thesystem administrator may edit the profile of the system administrator.FIG. 36 illustrates the page that is accessed if the systemadministrator chooses to “add a new user”. The new user will typicallycomprise a seller's customer service representative, a supplierrepresentative or an additional system administrator. A new user isadded by entering the information shown, including the name of the user,the login name of the user, the user's password, the user's emailaddress and the location of the user.

The system administrator may additionally choose to “add a new location”which directs the system administrator to the page shown in FIG. 37. Apull-down menu allows the system administrator to choose an existingsupplier (i.e., company) and then fill in the entries related to the newlocation. These entries include, a description of the new location, thenew location address, new location telephone and fax numbers, a newlocation contact name, printer type (for the purpose of configuring theself-generated shipping label function and the appropriate seller'saccount numbers that are tied to the supplier.

Additionally, the system administrator will have the capability to “adda new company” by accessing the page shown in FIG. 38. The informationrequired to add a new supplier is similar to that required to add a newsupplier location, as discussed above. In addition, adding a newsupplier will require the company/supplier name, a supplier code thatidentifies the supplier, an email address, notification method (email,XML or otherwise), company type (supplier or seller), and if the companyhas such, the appropriate XML or URL address.

Order and Payment Visibility Process

Another aspect of the present invention is an overall order-to-paymentsystem 1000, which includes order entry and visibility system featuresintegrated into customer systems, combined with data translation,purchase order acknowledgement, and purchase order change requestfeatures, all combined with electronic invoicing and payment andassociated dispute resolution.

FIGS. 39-42 are sections of an overall figure, which is created byplacing the figures side-by-side in numerical order with the figurelegends normally viewed. This overall figure is a flow chart that showsthe steps of the order and payment visibility process that begins atStep 1 in FIG. 39 and ends at Step 160 in FIG. 43.

The following are various descriptions of elements of the invention,which as will be seen in the figures are numbered in two manners; by an“A-number” manner and by a pure numerical manner. For example, Box A-1is also numbered with the numeral 2, and represents a step in which aBuyer submits an order via an internal order entry system of web forminterface to the order entry and visibility system.

At box A-1 (element 2) the process begins with the buyer 1 submitting anorder to the order entry and visibility system via an internal ordersystem of a web form interface. At box A-2 (element 6) the order entryand visibility system receives the information from the web forminterface and/or via XML import. At box A-3 (element 12) the order entryand visibility system generates an email notification of a pendingpurchase order and sends the email to the vendor.

The “computer” icons illustrated in FIGS. 39-42, such as 4, 10 and 14,represent use of computers to access or receive information. These iconsare also sometimes referred to herein as “stores” and are referenced asstore 4, store 10 or store 14 etc. A buyer system 4 is shown submittinga purchase order, an order entry and visibility system 10 is shownreceiving the order information and notifying the vendor of the order,and the email notification 14 generated by the order entry andvisibility system is also illustrated. Computers are used herein forillustrative purposes and one of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that some or all of the steps illustrated as involvingcomputers may be accomplished via other electronic means or manually.

The “keystone-shaped” icons such as 16 are customer and vendor tools. Inother words, the keystone shapes identify “players” in the transaction.For example, element 16 has to be a yes or no from the vendor before theprocess will proceed to box A-4 (element 22).

At box A-4 (element 22) a determination is made whether the vendor willuse the order entry and visibility system web form, or whether thevendor will require that the order(s) be exported from the order entryand visibility system and downloaded to an internal processing systemsuch as a WMS or a shipping system. Box A-5 (element 24) shows theprocess of data translation. In a preferred embodiment, the order entryand visibility system can provide an XML export to the vendor. But ifthe vendor requires the data in another file format (i.e. EDI or flatfile) then a data translation occurs to format the data to meet thevendor requirements. The data translation may be part of the order entryand visibility system, or may be performed by a third party. Box A-6(element 32) illustrates the vendor receiving the translated data andreviewing the order through the vendor internal system. Box A-7 (element36) shows the same step, except the vendor reviews the order through theorder entry and visibility system.

Stores 20 and 26 illustrate the order entry and visibility systemproviding order data to the vendor. Store 20 shows data received by thevendor without data translation, and store 26 shows the order entry andvisibility system providing the order data to a data translationapplication or system 30. Keystone icons 34 and 40 illustrate thevendor's receipt and review of the order data from the data translationapplication 30 and the order entry and visibility system, respectively.

In a preferred embodiment, the order and payment visibility processallows the buyer to require a purchase order acknowledgment from thevendor that specifies the terms under which the vendor will fulfill theorder. At box A-8 (element 42), a determination is made whether thebuyer requires a purchase order acknowledgement. If a purchase orderacknowledgement is required, the process proceeds to box A-9 (element44) where a purchase order acknowledgment is generated. The purchaseorder acknowledgment is preferably in the form of an email generated bythe order entry and visibility system; however, the acknowledgment canalso be provided to the buyer via a facsimile, phone call or an emailgenerated by another system. The purchase order acknowledgment may becreated by the vendor order entry system based upon the vendor's inputinto the system, or the vendor or a third party can process the purchaseorder and acknowledgment transaction.

Keystone icons 46 and 54 illustrate the creation of the purchase orderacknowledgment through input from the vendor and the receipt of theacknowledgment by the buyer, respectively. Store 52 shows the generationof a purchase order acknowledgment, and store 50 illustrates anacknowledgment in the form of an email received by the buyer.

Depending on the terms of the vendor's acknowledgment or a buyer'schanging conditions, a change request may be necessary. At box A-10(element 60), a check is performed to determine whether the buyer hassubmitted a change request. A change request is preferably submitted bya buyer via the order entry and visibility system. The order within theorder entry and visibility system is updated with the changed buyerrequirements at box A-11 (element 62), and the vendor is notified of thechange (keystone icon 72), preferably by a notification email generatedby the order entry and visibility system. One of ordinary skill in theart will readily recognize that other vehicles of notifying the vendorof an order change are known in the art and may be used with the presentinvention.

Store 64 shows the submission of a change to an order, and store 66illustrates the receipt and processing of the requested change order bythe order entry and visibility system. Store 70 shows an email sent to avendor with notification of the order update.

At box A-12 (element 74), the vendor determines what type of shipment isrequired to fulfill the order. In a preferred embodiment, informationregarding a LTL shipment can be entered into the order entry andvisibility system for visibility purposes. The processing of a LTL/TLshipment is illustrated at box A-13 (element 76), and shipmentinformation is entered to maintain visibility. Store 80 represents theorder and visibility system processing a LTL shipment.

In a preferred embodiment, the vendor chooses at box A-14 (element 82)whether to use the order entry and visibility system to manifest theshipment and generate a shipping or label, or whether to complete theback-end shipping process using an external system. Box A-15 (element84) illustrates the process wherein the vendor uses a system other thanthe order entry and visibility system to complete the shipping process.In such case, the shipping information should nevertheless be inputtedinto the order entry and visibility system to maintain completevisibility. Thus, box A-16 (element 92) illustrates the vendorsubmitting the required shipping information into the order entry andvisibility system. The information can be inputted directly into theorder entry and visibility system if the vendor uses the system tomanifest the shipment and generate the shipping label (illustrated bystore 90), or the information can be imported from an external system ifanother system is used to complete the shipping process (illustrated bystore 86).

Box A-17 (element 94) is a check to determine whether an order has beencompletely filled. In a preferred embodiment, if a vendor does not havesufficient product in stock to fulfill a complete order, the vendor hasthe option to fulfill a portion of the order and send a partialshipment. If it is determined at A-17 that the entire order has not beenfulfilled, the process returns to the review order step when the vendoris ready to ship additional product for an order.

It should be understood that the description shown in FIGS. 41 and 42are outside of a traditional order entry and visibility system. Thisportion of the process may be considered a financial feature of thepresent invention, which combines an order entry and visibility systemwith certain financial concepts, many of which are similar to anelectronic invoice presentment (EIP) system.

At box A-18 (element 96), invoice information for the order is submittedto an EIP system (store 104), preferably by the vendor or the orderentry and visibility system. The invoice remains in a “pending” stateuntil it is approved and released to the buyer. Information for theinvoice can be obtained from the vendor (keystone icon 100) or from theinternal order entry and visibility system (store 102).

Box A-19 (element 112) reflects the ability of the buyer (keystone icon114) and the vendor (keystone icon 110) to track the status of theshipment via the order entry and visibility system. In addition, theshipment may be tracked directly through a shipper tracking system 106.The receipt of a delivery confirmation and/or signature scans for allshipments within a purchase order (box A-20, element 116) triggers thegeneration of an electronic invoice that is sent to the buyer (box A-21,element 122). The triggering event may be automated or controlled by thevendor (keystone icon 120). In a preferred embodiment, the shipments aremonitored for a delivery scan using the EIP system (store 124). Oncedelivery scans are captured for all shipments in a purchase order, anelectronic invoice is created using the purchase order information, thePOD information, and the business rules and conditions agreed uponbetween the buyer and vendor. Preferably, the invoice is generatedautomatically and submitted to the buyer (keystone icon 126) in anelectronic format. But one of ordinary skill will readily recognize thatsome or all of these steps can include a manual check if so desired.

At box A-22 (element 130), the buyer (keystone icon 126) receives theinvoice and reviews it for accuracy and completeness. At box A-23, acheck is made to see whether the buyer has a dispute with the invoice.If the buyer disputes any part of the invoice, the details of thedispute are preferably inputted into the EIP system (store 132) and thevendor is automatically alerted via email or other electronic means ofthe dispute. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the dispute resolutionprocess is handled online. At box A-24 (element 142), action is takenbetween the buyer (keystone icon 144) and vendor (keystone icon 136) toresolve the invoice dispute. Any updates or corrections are made to theinvoice via the EIP system (store 140), which keeps a complete historyof the transaction and the dispute resolution. If necessary, a newelectronic invoice is generated and sent to the buyer.

At box A-25 (element 144), the buyer (keystone icon 146) approves theelectronic invoice through the EIP system (store 150), and the approvaltriggers an electronic request for payment in the form of an automatedclearing house (ACH) request to the buyer's bank or to the buyer's A/Psystem. Alternatively, the buyer may download the invoice and elect topay it using other means known in the art. At box A-26 (element 152),the vendor (keystone icon 154) is notified and paid (payment isrepresented in FIG. 43 as element 156), either directly or through itsagent. Finally, box A-27 (element 160) indicates that the transaction iscompleted.

Therefore it may be seen that the present invention contemplate anoverall order-to-payment system 1000, which includes order entry andvisibility system features integrated into customer systems, combinedwith data translation, purchase order acknowledgement, and purchaseorder change request features, all combined with electronic invoicingand payment and associated dispute resolution.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tomind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains havingthe benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions andthe associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that theinvention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed andthat modifications and other embodiments are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms areemployed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense onlyand not for purposes of limitation.

1. A system for product order entry, product order visibility, andproduct order processing in a communications network, the systemcomprising: a seller communications device configured to: receive aproduct order from a buyer communications device; and submit the productorder via an electronic interface, wherein the submitting includesselecting one or more suppliers from a plurality of suppliers to fulfillthe product order; and a supplier communications device configured to:receive the product order transmitted from an order entry and visibilitysystem; receive order fulfillment information for the product order,indicating that at least a portion of the product order has beenfulfilled; provide the order fulfillment information for the productorder to the order entry and visibility system; and wherein the orderentry and visibility system is configured to: receive the orderfulfillment information for the product order from the suppliercommunications device; generate an invoice for the product order inresponse to receiving the order fulfillment information; provide thebuyer with an opportunity to dispute the invoice for the product order;resolve disputes related to the invoice and the product order; andprovide shipping status information for the product order.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein the order entry and visibility system is furtherconfigured to communicate product order status information to an entitythat submitted the product order.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein theorder entry and visibility system is further configured to communicatethe shipping status information to an entity that submitted the productorder.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the order entry and visibilitysystem is further configured to provide the invoice to an entity thatsubmitted the product order.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the orderentry and visibility system is further configured to request payment forthe product order upon approval of the invoice.
 6. The system of claim5, wherein the request for payment is in the form of an automatedclearing house request to a bank computing device associated with anentity that submitted the product order.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein the order entry and visibility system is further configured torequest a purchase order acknowledgment from the supplier.
 8. The systemof claim 7, wherein the order entry and visibility system is furtherconfigured to generate the purchase order acknowledgment to an entitythat submitted the product order.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein theorder entry and visibility system is further configured to change theproduct order in response to the purchase order acknowledgment.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the order entry and visibility system isfurther configured to communicate the change of the product order to thesupplier communications device.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein theorder entry and visibility system is further configured to generate oneor more shipping labels for the product order.
 12. The system of claim1, wherein tracking the shipping status includes tracking at least oneof delivery confirmation and signature scans.